Until the Afterlife Crumbles
by EternallyShizzal
Summary: Atem and Yuugi have a bond that can withstand anything, and transcend Armageddon. YuugiXAtem, Puzzleshipping.


_I've been itching to write a puzzleshipping fic for so long now, and here it is. Enjoy_

_Warning: Fluffy yaoi cuteness, mention of the "end of the world", and the possible need of tissues. (I cried writing this, lol)_

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and all of its characters are property of Kazuki Takahashi, Konami, 4kids Entertainment, and others._

* * *

"Now I'll put the Dark Magician in attack mode and end my turn." The dark skinned teen called out across the field, a smile on his tanned face. His hikari didn't respond right away, a look of distance on his pale features.

'_What's wrong with me? I just can't seem to duel properly with him lately… 'Yuugi_ sighed. Ever since the pharaoh had found a way to temporarily return to this world, Yuugi had felt something different for the Egyptian. The light had been devastated by the outcome of the ceremonial battle two years prior. He'd wanted his yami to be happy, though, so he tried to mask the pain that bubbled up to his surface as his other self had crossed over in to the afterlife. After he'd gone, Yuugi changed drastically. His demeanor was stoic and unenthusiastic. He was still the king of games; however dueling held none of the former lusters that it once did when he was sharing the experience with another being.

While the once nameless king resided inside him, Yuugi had felt safe, confident, and protected. Atem had been the ever-constant companion Yuugi had wished on the puzzle for. Without realizing it, Yuugi had fallen for his darker self, and when he _had _realized it, it was too late. Or so it seemed.

On a rather ordinary afternoon, Yuugi had come home from school, expecting to spend another lonely evening staring at his Puzzle. Even though there was no one present inside it anymore, he still found the artifact a piece of comfort; a token of remembrance. "Hey gramps, I'm home!" Yuugi called. The elder Mutou came out of the back room, a pleasant smile on his face. "Oh, Yuugi! Welcome home. There is a friend here to see you. He's up in your room." The boy arched a brow, confused. He'd just come from school with Anzu, Honda, Jounouchi, and Ryou. '_Who else would be here to see me? Kaiba? No, he'd never come here of all places.' _ The bamboozled blonde black and magenta-haired boy went up the stairs, opening his door and gasping.

"Aibou?" The hikari snapped out of his reverie, his attention turning back to the battle. "Sorry, Atem-kun." The yami frowned, putting his cards back in his deck. The holograms disappeared, and Atem walked across the near-empty arena, which belonged to Kaiba. Yuugi raised a brow, curiously, putting his cards away. "Aibou, what's been on your mind lately? You haven't been dueling with me with all your power. It's as if you're distracted." Yuugi flushed slightly looking at his feet. "Oh, I'm sorry, mou hitori no boku. I just have some things on my mind." The leather-clad pharaoh wasn't convinced that it was quite so simple, but he let it go. "Alright, let's go back to the game shop. I'm sure Kaiba's had enough of our noise for one day."

Yuugi remembered seeing the pharaoh in his room that day. He sat on his bed, one leg crossed over the other, arms crossed over his chest- the picture of confidence that he was always known for. He was dressed in leather, as he had been when he left this dimension two years prior, though his skin was dark and his eyes reddened to show that he was very much a person in his own right, though he and Yuugi shared more physical similarities now than before like Yuugi's recently gained height and loss off baby-fat in his cheeks. "M-Mou hitori no boku?" The younger of the two dropped his bag, slowly entering the room. The pharaoh flashed his trade mark thumbs-up and winked," Welcome home, Aibou."

"Earth to Aibou!" Yuugi jumped, startled, at the sound of his dark side's voice. Said Yami stood in front of him, arms crossed over his chest, a look of suspicion on his face. "Sorry, Pharaoh." "Yuugi, you've been acting quite strangely today, and I don't like it. What's going on? And don't say _nothing_ because I can sense it through our mind link." Yuugi sighed. Through shadow magic and an entitled wish, Atem had been able to travel freely from the world of the living to the afterlife as he pleased, with his own body, however their souls were still connected, and they still shared an unbreakable mental bond. This was both a curse and a blessing, as Yuugi had to remember to constantly put barriers around his more intimate thoughts. Yuugi sighed once again, looking up at the ceiling of his room. His yami seated himself in Yuugi's desk chair, picking up his neglected book.

Yuugi closed his eyes, speaking with his mind. '_How long will you be staying this time?' _He heard the pharaoh shift in his chair before he mentally replied, '_I'll return tonight.' _ Yuugi frowned, and Atem felt his mood take a nosedive. '_What's wrong, Yuugi?" _ Atem shut his book, laying it back on Yuugi's desk. '_Why do you keep coming back? Just to duel me? Aren't you happy in the afterlife?'_ The question startled the young pharaoh. '_Yuugi, you and your friends are important to me. Though I do not belong in this world any longer, I feel that I need to be here. Aibou, you and I are a soul divided; I both physically and mentally cannot be without you. Until you cross into the afterlife, neither half of our soul will rest if I remain there.' _Yuugi sat up to find his yami now sitting next to him on the bed, a smile on his tan features. "Aibou, like it or not, you're stuck with me for quite some time still." He winked. His other half laughed, a soft blush spread across his pale cheeks. '_Not like I mind that much… '_Yuugi gasped, realizing he hadn't blocked his thoughts. He looked up at the pharaoh, face flushed when he saw the smirk that played on his lips. '_Aibou…. I think I know what's really been interfering with our duels.' 'Pharaoh?' _

The darker skinned boy lifted his partner's chin, staring into his eyes with intensity, though his smile was mischievous. '_I can't fathom why I hadn't noticed it before. I suppose I always thought you fancied Anzu.' _ Yuugi's face reddened further, making Atem chuckle softly. '_I-I did have feelings for her.. a long time ago… but the only one she ever liked was you, Atem-kun.' _His doe-like eyes were down cast until he was startled by a soft pair of lips on his own. '_The only one I ever fancied was you. I was never considered a conceited pharaoh, however I'm not afraid to admit the only person I care for is myself. We're soul mates, in every sense of the word.' _ The pharaoh pulled back, eager to see his little one's reaction. Yuugi stared at his other silently, his lips trembling. He suddenly smiled, throwing himself into his yami's arms, letting out a small sob. "Aibou?" The Egyptian wrapped his arms around the smaller teen, peering down at him. Yuugi looked up at him, smiling. "I love you, mou hitori no boku," Atem nuzzled his cheek before resting his forehead on the one of the paler boy," And I love you, Aibo. Our bond is beyond time and space, death and resurrection. From now until the end of days in all realms, we'll be together." A visual of the sacred eye glowed on their touching foreheads as Atem captured another kiss from his hikari, and the rest of the lights went out.

At the end of his life, Yuugi Mutou got to choose his fate in the afterlife. He chose a wish similar to Atem's.

He could join with his Yami and be a whole person once more, combining their souls.

But he chose to stay separate, and yet together.

Three millennia later, as chaos consumed all existence, Pharaoh Atem, once-great King of Egypt, sat on his throne. In his lap sat his hikari, Yuugi, once-great king of games. Both youthful-looking faces were peaceful. "A grape for my Pharaoh?" Yuugi lifted the bunch of grapes up to Atem's lips. The dark smiled, slowly taking one of the fruits in to his mouth. '_Are you frightened, my little one?' 'A bit… We've never faced something quite like this…'_ Yuugi smiled up at his Egyptian lover, winking and giving him a thumbs-up. '_But as long as we're together, I know I'll be alright.' _The yami smiled, his crimson eyes sad as he returned their common gesture. All around them, the afterlife was being destroyed. All of their friends were gone. The entire living world had ceased to exist a long time ago. Fighting was futile and they knew it. No children's card game could save them this time. Yuugi looked out over their former kingdom, everything turned to stone. People, plants, animals, all encased in rock. It reminded Yuugi of the stone tablets the Egyptians used as duel monsters cards in Atem's lifetime.

All around, storms were reaching closer and closer. Winds, rain, fire licked at the heels of the tall structure the Pharaoh and his lover sat upon. Yuugi put down the grapes, his big purple eyes not showing any sign of tears. '_I love you, mou hitori no boku.' 'And I love you, my precious Aibou.' _ They kissed, deeply, as if there was no world rotting around them. Their minds became fully one, and as their peaceful gesture of love was forever preserved in stone, only one thought from both was made,

'_From now until the end of days, in all realms, we'll be together…'_


End file.
